Week 4 Primer

Game of the Week – Ravens (2-1) vs. Steelers (3-0):

The Ravens and Steelers renew their bloody rivalry at Heinz Field on Sunday with a lot on the line.

Though it’s early in the season, every division game in the AFC North is crucial. Baltimore already has a loss within the division to Cincinnati, and losing this week would all but assure that their only hope for a playoff berth would be to win the wild card.

For Pittsburgh, it’s the final game of Ben Roethlisberger’s suspension, and the team is still out to prove that they can win without their two-time Super Bowl winning quarterback.

Charlie Batch will get the start at quarterback after an impressive performance against Tampa Bay in Dennis Dixon’s absence.

Baltimore has only one major injury concern, and that is the status of running back Ray Rice. Rice suffered a knee contusion against the Browns last week and is listed as questionable. Coach John Harbaugh sounds confident Rice will play, however.

That’s enough talk about offense. As always, this game will come down to defense. The Steelers defense is back to the tough, hard-nosed style that helped get defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau into the Hall of Fame.

Much of Pittsburgh’s success can be attributed to the return of free safety Troy Polamalu, who started just three games last year due to injury. Polamalu is proving once again that he is the most valuable defensive player in the league. Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco will have to keep his eyes on No.43 at all times, or he’ll pay the price.

Talk of Baltimore’s defense starts and ends with middle linebacker Ray Lewis. The 15-year veteran is better than ever, and he seems to be playing with a big chip on his shoulder this season. When he plays well, it’s tough to score on the Ravens.

The game kicks off at 1 p.m. EST and will be televised by CBS. Jim Nantz and Phil Simms are on the call.

Upset alert – Broncos (1-2) vs. Titans (2-1):

Denver quarterback Kyle Orton has quietly had a fantastic start to the season, compiling the second-most passing yards (1,078) of anyone in the league.

Orton is working with a highly underrated receiving corps, and the Broncos as a whole are much better than their record suggests.

Broncos’ running back Knowshon Moreno will miss his second straight game with a hamstring injury. Correll Buckhalter and Laurence Maroney will share the carries in his absence.

The Titans are coming off an impressive 29-10 win over the Giants and may be feeling a little too comfortable heading into this home contest with Denver.

Defenses have been stuffing the box against Tennessee running back Chris Johnson, meaning it will be up to Vince Young and the passing game to lead the Titans to a victory.

And speaking of defenses, the Titans gave up 471 total yards against the Giants last week.

The game can be seen at 1 p.m. on CBS. Kevin Harlan and Solomon Wilcots are on the call.

Blowout potential – Panthers (0-3) vs. Saints (3-0):

The Stains have to be fuming after losing at home to division-rival Atlanta in overtime last week. Moreover, New Orleans offense has yet to explode like it did a year ago, which must be frustrating coach Sean Payton and quarterback Drew Brees.

There’s no better way to take out your frustrations than to face Carolina, which managed to make Buccaneers quarterback Josh Freeman look like a Pro Bowler in Week 2.

The Panthers are a complete mess, and coach John Fox can’t do anything about it. Rookie Jimmy Clausen is the team’s starting quarterback, and he struggled mightily against the Bengals last week.

While Brees does have a minor knee injury, it isn’t even significant enough to land him on the injury report.

FOX will air the game at 1 p.m. Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston and Tony Siragusa will be on the call.

Quick Slants –

Redskins (1-2) vs. Eagles (2-1):

Donovan McNabb makes his return to Philadelphia in one of the most intriguing games of the season. How Eagles fans respond to McNabb will certainly generate a lot of headlines.

On the other side, Eagles quarterback Michael Vick is arguably playing the best football of his career. He could have a big day against Washington’s weak secondary.

The game kicks off at 4:15 p.m. on FOX. On the call are Joe Buck, Troy Aikman and Pam Oliver.

Jets (2-1) vs. Bills (0-3):

Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez has been on fire of late, throwing six touchdowns and no interceptions in the last weeks.

Buffalo has many weaknesses, but rookie running back C.J. Spiller isn’t one of them. He had two touchdowns (one receiving, one kick return) against the Patriots last week.

The game airs at 1 p.m. on CBS with Greg Gumbel and Dan Diedorf on the call.